Senator Murray Hosts Roundtable on Historic Measures to Lower Drug Prices

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Senator Murray: “This bill is going to be life changing—and lifesaving—for so many seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare to get the care they need.”

***PHOTOS OF THE ROUNDTABLE HERE***

***AUDIO OF THE ROUNDTABLE HERE***  

(Vancouver, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, hosted a roundtable with patient advocates and local leaders from Southwest Washington to discuss her work to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes historic provisions to lower drug costs for seniors and people with disabilities. As Chair of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Murray helped lead the Senate Democrats in passing the Inflation Reduction Act’s prescription drug provisions.

“Skyrocketing drug costs have been hard on families across Washington, and across the country—and I know Clark County is no exception,” said Senator Murray. “Too many people have been facing impossible choices because of skyrocketing drug costs, like skipping meals or skipping their medication just to make ends meet—all while drug companies are jacking up prices and raking in massive profits. That’s why I fought tooth and nail to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, lower drug costs, and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. This bill is going to be life changing—and lifesaving—for so many seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare to get the care they need.”

“The Clark County Commission on Aging regularly hears presenters and members of the public speak about financial insecurity for a growing number of older adults,” said Cass Freedland, Ph.D., Chair of the Clark County Commission on Aging. “We hear about aging adults who are currently making ends meet but face an uncertain future if their life circumstances change, such as the loss of a partner or a decline in health status. Because the largest expenses for most older adults are housing and health care costs, actions that help reduce cost burdens are critical.”

“It’s an honor for the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington to host Senator Murray and her staff for this important roundtable discussion,” said Mike Reardon, Executive Director of the Area on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest WA. “Additionally, we say “Thank You” to Senator Murray for championing solutions to the rising costs of prescription medications for Medicare recipients. The Medicare prescription drug provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act will benefit the lives of millions of older adults across the nation, particularly those on fixed incomes. This bill will benefit 1.4M Washingtonians, 115,000 of whom live in Southwest Washington. These are significant numbers and again want to thank Senator Murray for her hard work on this important issue.”

“Nosotras somos mejores juntas,” said Pat Cano, LULAC Senior Member, Advisory Council Member for the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington.

The Inflation Reduction Act includes several groundbreaking steps to bring down prescription drugs for Washington state’s more than 1.4 million Medicare patients, like finally allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug costs—something Senator Murray has been fighting to do for years and will bring down costs for patients everywhere and generate enormous savings for taxpayers. It also caps Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs at $2,000 a year, caps their insulin costs at $35 a month, and caps price increases on their prescriptions at the rate of inflation so that drug makers cannot jack up prices to pad their own profits.

Senator Murray held the roundtable at the Clark County Area Agency on Aging and Disability. She was joined by Mike Reardon, Executive Director of the Area on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest WA; Lisa Bayautet, a citizen representative for Area on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest WA; Bridgette Fahnbulleh, advocate and former Vancouver NAACP President; Pat Cano, LULAC Senior Member, Advisory Council Member for the Area Agency on Aging; and Cass Freedland, Chair of the Clark County Commission on Aging.

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